Back To Existence
by One Nutty Tree
Summary: God I hate the title, any suggestions are welcome. Chris is still depressed about Bianca's death. Eventually Piper calls Leo down to talk to him but then he realises what's bothering Chris is much more serious than that.


It had been a week since Bianca died and despite Piper's suspicions concerning Chris she was still worried about him. She put it down to her maternal instincts.

Piper remembered when she'd lost Prue. All those angry, hurt feelings had come bursting out in demon vanquishing form (although Chris seemed to have that before anything else like grief arrived). Her sisters had barely been able to drag her back. Piper dealt with a similar pain on a daily basis knowing that she'd lost her husband to the heavens effectively. Through all her experience she knew it was not good to bottle those feelings up. She didn't know how Chris dealt with grief and every time she saw him he seemed one step closer to a complete breakdown.

For once there was no imminent demon attack to deal with so Piper was at P3. Now was the perfect time to check on her mysterious whitelighter.

"Chris?"

Silence. Piper pushed the door open to find Chris lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. He opened one eye.

"What?" he groaned.

"Oh my god! What happened?"

"I-it was a Slitter." Chris muttered.

His eyelids drooped.

"Oh no you don't. LEO! Oh come on! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"

Leo appeared in the usual flurry of orbs.

"Blessed be."

"Heal now."

He frowned.

"You look fine to me." Piper rolled her eyes and stepped aside to reveal Chris. A look of disapproving realisation dawned on the elder's face. Leo knelt beside Chris and started to heal him. "What did he do this time?

"Leo look at his wrists." said Piper.

There were two deep gashes on both of them.

"Chris doesn't strike me as the suicidal type."

"Do you have any other explanation? We don't know what life was like in the future for him; he said his family died – maybe Bianca was a painful reminder of a part of his life he wanted to forget."

Chris sat up fully healed.

"Piper I am not suicidal, I told you it was a Slitter!" She looked at him sceptically. "A lower level demon named after the trademark wound it inflicts." he recited, rolling his eyes.

"Why did you go after it alone?"

Chris stood up.

"It was next on my demon to do list that you and your sisters always run away from! It's not the first time I've taken it on."

"But it's the first time you nearly died because of it!"

Chris gave Piper a dubious look.

"No it isn't. Why do you care anyways?"

"I don't want to see you killed believe it or not Chris!"

"Well thanks for the concern but I can take care of myself." he snapped before orbing out.

Leo and Piper exchanged glances.

"I'll talk to him." said Leo and promptly orbed to the Golden Gate bridge where he knew he'd find Chris.

The whitelighter sat hunched up on the metal.

"Go away." he said without turning around.

"Is this about Bianca?"

"Piper put you up to this didn't she?" Chris sighed. "Bianca was a – a turning point. She made me realise what was important." Chris replied.

"That doesn't mean you should work yourself to death over it."

"You still don't get it!" Chris yelled. "It doesn't matter whether I live or die but I have to stop this all from happening again! If I can't save Wyatt the future is screwed! Just like me."

Leo frowned.

"Chris you're not screwed. If you just told us – "

"You know I can't tell you too much about the future. And yes I am screwed; my conception date is tonight." Leo stared at Chris in bewilderment as the witchlighter raised a transparent hand. "Goodbye d-" for a minute it looked like Chris was going to say something else but he promptly decided against it. "-Leo."

"Chris!"

But he was gone.

Leo orbed back to P3.

"It's about time!" said Piper. "How was he?"

"Piper – Chris disappeared."

"What!?"

"He literally faded away. He told me his conception date was tonight."

"Oh my god."

Leo looked down, then at Piper. He took her into his arms and God did it feel good to have her there again. He sighed.

"The elders are calling."

"Well tell them to stuff it."

"Piper you know I can't."

She promptly withdrew from his arms.

"Fine. Go."

She was obviously upset. Although she'd never particularly liked Chris it was a shock to find out that the neurotic witchlighter had been erased from existence. Leo glanced up at the heavens. They were going to give him hell for this, but dammit he wanted to hold his wife. Well, ex.

"No." he said firmly.

"What?"

"I'm not leaving you like this."

Piper gave Leo a small smile. He enveloped her in another hug and kissed her on the forehead.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"For reminding me what matters."

_You_ he didn't say it, but it didn't need to be said. Piper's lips locked onto his all the same.

*cue sex scene I'm too young to write*

Leo was woken up by a cheerful woo. It took several minutes for him to realise where he was – P3, Chris' cupboard. Piper lay by his side still fast asleep. Then the door opened to reveal Chris.

He took in the scene with wide eyes and abruptly closed the door.

"Too much information." he muttered.

A few seconds later a half-dressed Leo stumbled out of the room.

"You tricked me!"

"Couldn't you guys have used a different room!" Chris exclaimed.

"You TRICKED me!" Leo roared.

"I'm never going to be able to sleep on that bed again."

"You-"

"Keep your voice down. We don't want to wake Piper."

"Too late." Piper stood by the door, half-dressed gazing at the pair crankily. "What's going on?"

Chris grinned.

"My parents just –" he trailed off. How could he tell them without them figuring out his secret? "I just popped back into existence, you do the math! Right now I'm just happy to be alive."


End file.
